Brightness
by sunnrise
Summary: [Pacific Rim AU] Aomine Daiki's hopes and dreams to become an official Jaeger pilot disappeared along with his love for training the moment he was deemed too much of a monster to find a partner that could be judged as an equal. That is until Tokyo's Shatterdome receives a returnee with flaming red hair and an attitude to match.
1. Chapter 1

Aomine really hated mornings. Hated how bright it was, hated how cheery everyone seemed to be, he just despised it. Especially when it was ass-o'clock in the morning and he was demanded to meet in the main control room for some stupid meeting to talk about a topic that was supposedly important but had no relevance to him whatsoever.

Sometimes he really regretted enlisting in the jaeger program.

He debated just crawling back in bed, but as quickly as the idea came to him it disappeared. The Marshall would have his head on a silver platter if he disobeyed. So he just sucked it up and dressed quickly, checking the clock mounted on the wall continuously so he was reassured he wasn't late. His eyes drifted unconsciously towards the empty bed on the other side of the room and he shook his head turning away, slipping on his boots before leaving his quarters.

Walking through the halls he ignored the stares and whispers that seemed to follow him everywhere. He quit trying to stop them the minute he realized he never really could put an end to the constant reminder of who he was. So he continued on with his day like the people didn't even exist.

Walking through the main hall Aomine found himself accompanied by a familiar bluenette like himself, but with hair colored like blue cotton candy and skin almost as white as snow. He jumped at the sight of him when he realized he was there, though no one could blame him, it was Kuroko and he was practically invisible.

The smaller man looked at him with his regularly blank face. "Good morning Aomine-kun." Though Aomine didn't bother to reply with a literal greeting, opting just for a nod of a simple nod of acknowledgement. He hummed. "Kuroko." They walked in silence for awhile, until the smaller man broke it. "Has anyone told you what is to be discussed in this meeting today?"

"No." Aomine answered with a small tch forming on his jaw. His face turned sour. Pulled into another useless meeting was enough to put him into a bad mood. "Why am I even pulled into these things? I'm not a pilot." The last word was like acid in his mouth.

Kuroko simply ignored his question and continued with what he said prior. "The Marshall has picked some candidates to be transferred to this shatterdome and he desires to inform us about each of them briefly before the final decision of which he chooses to be actually brought here."

The darker man's eyebrows furrowed creating creases on the skin. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled his eyes as they ascended the stairs leading to the control room. Kuroko opened the door stepping inside, and before Aomine followed he muttered flatly under his breath. "That still has nothing to do with me." And he walked in, letting the door shut behind him.

Within two hours into the meeting Midormia pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and thumb, holding back an annoyed huff from escaping. They had been at this for two hours now. Constant scrolling through hundreds of names, stat numbers, reports, and photographs of possible applicants to be brought to the Tokyo shatterdome. But not a single one of them has caught the attention or interest of the Marshall. One of the cadet applicants would look like a practically perfect candidate but the Marshall would find a way to knock em' down to the definite no's pile. Midormia was starting to struggle to hold back a string of cuss words from leaving his lips and his hands from pulling at his hair in frustration.

"None of these cadets look compatible with each other or any of our own. They may have enlisted in the jaeger program, but that alone doesn't deem them worthy to step into a jaeger." Marshall Akashi Seijuro said staring at the screen on the wall with an impassive expression.

Midormia kept his mouth shut though and moved his hand across the screen to show yet another file dropping it when it popped up. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed quietly when the Marshall didn't say anything. He moved his hand to show a different one though he stopped when the Marshall raised his own hand to pause his actions. Midormia almost breathed a sigh of relief, and squinted his eyes to scan the file before him.

"Kagami Taiga." Akashi spoke with eyes flickering over the words on the screen.

Takao practically ooed from where he was occupying the seat next to Midormia. An eyebrow raised and a look of interest marked his face. He'd been spinning in his chair and staring at the ceiling in boredom previously. Honestly he thought these type of meetings were rather bland and boring. He'd rather be getting back to work in the lab. Though the soldier on the screen proved to be very interesting.

Kagami Taiga looked to be dangerous from the photograph chosen to be put in his file. His angled face was scrunched into a deathly glare, crimson eyes narrowed in slits, oddly split eyebrows furrowed and his mouth was pursed in a thin line. He had dark red hair with black tips that laid messily on his head, and a body with greatly defined muscle. If he were to be approved by Akashi, lord knows Satsuki and Riko would have a field day with this one.

The Marshall had his arms crossed over his chest while he stood silently. "His combat skill numbers are out of the ordinary, so much that he overpowers anyone he has a match with. Seems rather familiar."

All eyes drifted towards the dark skinned male with navy hair who sat towards the back with feet propped up on the table and arms crossed behind his head with his eyes closed as he snored lightly in his sleep nonchalant to those around him. They looked towards the screen again not soon after.

"The comments left by other higher ups state that he's tried to drift with people close to his level, but it never works. Since there hasn't been anyone actually equal to his standards he ends up overpowering the other during a drift proving to be difficult for the other to withstand such pressure. He's also proven to be quite violent at times. Gotten into fights with four other jaeger pilots in the same shatterdome; he refuses to give an answer as to why-"

"Bring him here."

Midormia realed back as if he had been slapped. He opened his mouth to retort but by the incredibly stern look from the Marshall he backed down submissively, forced to bite down on his tongue. He nodded. "Yes Sir."

…

Kagami slapped a hand over the obnoxiously loud alarm with a grunt. He shifted so he was laying on his stomach and stretched his arms over his head, sighing blissfully when his aching muscles briefly tensed before relaxing. He looked up at the calendar stuck to the wall above his bed and cussed under his breath because today was the day he'd be flying to Japan's shatterdome, and he had yet to pack anything.

Rolling over and swinging his legs over the side of the mattress he rubbed his face in a weak attempt to wake himself up. The previous night he'd stayed up because one of the cadets thought he'd take him up in the kwoon room. And though the kid lost over and over again he never gave up insisting that they have a rematch. Kagami rolled his eyes at the thought muttering a "damn brat" under his breath as he did so.

He flinched when his feet hit the cold floor and walked towards his closet. He'd have to skip breakfast if he wanted to pack everything by the time he was due to depart. Kagami's stomach grumbled in protest to the idea but he forced himself to stay put and grabbed his clothes in his arms, placing them on the table near by to be folded.

When his clothes were all fitted in two separate large duffle bags he took a look around the room debating on what was important enough to leave with him. He grabbed a few knit-knacks off the shelves, some books and when he moved to grab his favorite pair of headphones from his dresser he froze when his eyes locked on a familiar silver chain looped through a black ring.

It hung over a small framed picture that stood upright of two boys and a woman smiling widely at the camera with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, pure happiness sparkled in their eyes in such a way it didn't even seem like a picture; but a look into the past. One that made Kagami's chest ache with a sense of pain that he was all too familiar with.

His hand wavered over the two items. After a few long moments of debate and painful memories overriding his vision he placed the frame carefully faced down in between sets of clothing and slung the chain around his neck. He gripped the ring in his hand for a second, closing his eyes and turning his head upwards towards the ceiling breathing ragged.

A knock at the steel door shocked him out his daze and he dropped the ring to let it rest against his collarbone. Kagami swung the door open to see a fidgety long haired brunette looking at him with an awkward smile on her face. "Time to go." She said with a soft voice.

Kagami nodded and slung one of his bags over his shoulder while the other was carried in his free hand. He cut the light off to the room and stepped outside, letting it shut behind him. He glanced at it for a second before nodding once more and turning towards the woman. He swallowed.

"Lead the way."

…

Landing in Japan one extremely long plane flight after left Kagami impressively grumpy due to hunger and annoyed because of the stiff back he got from sitting down so long. He stood up from his seat on the jet and grunted at the sound of a pop coming from his back. He grabbed his belongings and proceeded to make his way out the side of the aircraft and down the stairs to the ground.

The jet had stopped on the deck just outside the massive double doors of the shatterdome, and they were wide open. Kagami hummed in thought as he glanced around. People scurried along with their tasks at hand and barely spared him a glance. Everything was in an all-hands-on-deck type of operation. Everyone was working and no one slacked off.

"Kagami-kun."

The redhead yelped as he jumped back in surprise at the sudden presence of a shorter man in front of him. He was small and scrawny by all means compared to himself and Kagami towered over him like a jaeger to a human. The man had light blue hair and pale skin. His face was completely void of emotion and it unnerved Kagami.

"The hell are you? A ghost?" Kagami muttered rubbing the bridge of his nose exasperatedly. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that." The man only tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. He reminded Kagami of a dog. Kagami didn't like dogs. "I was here the whole time." Kagami's face turned sour. Smartass.

"I've been instructed to show you to your quarters." He bowed. "I am Kuroko Tetsuya."


	2. Chapter 2

Kagami was annoyed.

For a week and a half he'd been forced to put up with the actions of young cadets while he slept in the bunkers. He wasn't an official pilot so he'd have to sleep there for awhile.

"It's only until we find another pilot that's sure to be compatible with you." Kuroko stated answering his silent question when they arrived in front of the door.

At the beginning he'd been completely okay with it, really it was to be kind of expected. Kagami was the designated newbie and he wasn't going to get special treatment. Only pilots got actual rooms, and obviously the redhead was not one.

But ever since the cadets found out that he previously was stationed in California they'd made it a habit to continuously ask him questions about America. Kagami had been fine with it at first since he understood they'd never been to the states, until he started to lose sleep over it.

They would sit up in their beds, and the ones in the higher bunks would climb down to the floor to listen to what the redhead had to say. The questions could range from what the people acted, how the food tasted or something completely ridiculous like what the bathrooms looked like.

On top of that he'd been under tight lock and key. When Kuroko had given him somewhat a mini tour he pointed out the many places he was not authorized to be in. Which left Kagami very few places to go and very few things to do. He honestly felt like a dog on a tight leash.

He didn't like dogs.

So on his way to the cafeteria for lunch that evening, he made up his mind. He'd go exploring on his own and hopefully find something to do.

When he sat at a table in the far corner by himself it took a lot not to snap at the people who seemed to couldn't keep their eyes to themselves. They even looked like they didn't notice their own blatantly obvious gawking. Their mouths were dropped open and their eyes were wide.

Kagami knew that he ate a lot. It wasn't a secret. But he didn't think it was much of a big deal. Though apparently it was because of the looks of disbelief written across their faces.

He pursed his lips into a line and his eyes narrowed into a glare. He locked eyes with a few of them to let them know _I see you_ and afterwards they almost immediately went back to what they were doing before; though they continued to glance at him every chance they assumed he wasn't looking.

"Stop looking at them like that or they'll faint." A voice snapped him out his glaring and he looked across him to see a black haired man a year or two older than him. He dropped his tray onto the table and pushed his glasses up his nose. "It's also very rude."

The redhead puffed air through his nose irritably. "It's also rude to stare." He rolled his eyes. "Tell them something before you come to me Hyuuga."

They'd become quite familiar with each other for the past week, along with another man named Kiyoshi. They often sat together in the cafeteria. Apparently they were interested in knowing who the rookie with a large appetite was and introduced themselves the first chance they got.

Hyuuga eyed the massive stack of food on his tray with a look of distaste. He muttered a barely audible "where does it all go?" as he shoveled a forkful of rice in his mouth.

Kagami snorted in return and continued on with his meal.

By the time he was finished Hyuuga had already left to return to whatever his job was and the cafeteria was mostly empty. So he picked up his tray and dropped it on top of the growing stack at the end of the food counter with the others. He waved dismissively to the person picking them up and made his way out.

His hands were tucked into his pockets as he walked to avoid accidentally touching someone from how people rushed back and forth through the halls. He didn't have a clue where he planned on going considering he didn't know much about the layout of the shatterdome in the first place but he just kept walking, taking turns occasionally.

It could've been minutes or hours before he stopped aimlessly wandering and Kagami had no doubt that he was lost.

He was about ready to head back the way he came but he froze when he heard the sounds of shoes squeaking against the floor and a slow repetitive _thump_ follow after.

It had been coming from the double doors at the end of the hallway that Kagami had deemed uninteresting when he first glanced at them. Out of general curiosity that suddenly sparked to life at the familiar sounds he pulled one of the doors open just enough to peek inside.

His eyes roamed the room cautiously taking in everything that was inside. When they landed on a rack filled with familiar orange balls an overwhelming feelings flooded his veins.

How long had it been since he felt the familiar roughness of a basketball?

Not since-

"Yo."

Aomine didn't know what to expect when Momoi barged in on his off day like it was completely normal. She had a look of such excitement he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at it. Usually she only got that look when he's found some new information or when they were given the rare permission to leave the shatterdome.

He highly doubted that look was connected to either of those possible scenarios.

So when he semi-sat up in his bed with his back resting against the wall he crossed his arms looking at her expectedly he gave her a dark look. _Because what could honestly be so important that she had to come in and bother him on an off day of all days?_

Frankly as much as he wanted to tell her to just _go away_ and to _leave him the hell alone_ he knew it would only go through one ear and come out the other because this was Satsuki. The one who was hellbent on bothering the hell out of him all day everyday.

"Dai-chan I have news that you'd love to hear!"

He didn't really care to actually put effort into listening into what she had to say that moment but when the words "possible" and "pilot" left her mouth he found himself freezing while he dug in his ear with his pinkie. He sat silent for a few long moments after that and dropped his hands to his lap to look at them.

Aomine didn't want to risk getting his hopes up for something that was most likely not to happen. But he couldn't help his general curiosity. Aomine was like a cat. He was lazy and he didn't like being around people much, but when something caught his attention, _it caught his attention_.

"Satsuki can you repeat that? I wasn't listening."

The pink haired woman pouted in response dragging out a "Dai-channnnnn" in a way that made her sound like she did when they were kids.

He snorted. "Women your age shouldn't pout.

"You're so mean!" She huffed turning away but she glanced at him through the corner of her eye carefully. "And what I said before was that Aka- the General has brought valuable person to join our ranks in this shatterdome recently and he's a returnee from America isn't that exciting? They also don't have a drift partner and after further speculating at his stat numbers and past occurrences with other people who drift there's a really high chance he can drift with you."

Satsuki turned back to face him with a careful expression. "This could be it, this could be your actual chance to show what you got in an _actual_ jaeger. Do you know how exciting that is?"

The dark male didn't answer at first, he was still in the process of actually digesting the information. It hadn't fully synced in yet and honestly he didn't think it would.

So he proceeded to get off his bed and slipped on a pair of sneakers that laid by the door. He didn't spare a glance at his childhood friend that stayed in his room, looking after him with a sad face.

"It's such a shame." She whispered to herself and shook her head. "Someone with such incredible talent no longer has a will to drive forward anymore because they simply think they're already just too far ahead for anyone else to catch up."

Aomine found himself in the basketball court that no one besides the rest of his circle used. They came here often to play games just like they did in junior high every blue moon or so. But Aomine discovered that his feet would move on their own like his body was in auto-pilot whenever he felt an extreme wash of emotions.

It was like his body telling him it's time to blow off some steam.

He didn't know what to make of the news he heard from Satsuki. He already knew he had strong feelings about it, je just wasn't sure if they were positive or negative.

He wouldn't allow himself to give him a false hope of becoming a pilot. There had been many "possible" applicants to be his partner along his journey into the jaeger program but they either ended up in the infirmary because of the overpowering on his part or flat out he kicked their asses in the kwoon room.

A drift is like a fragile seesaw. Too much weight on one side and the other just shoots right up at an alarming - sometimes dangerous rate towards the sky. That's what drifting with Aomine was like. And every single damn time the other was too lightweight to handle his power and ended up with whiplash from the speed.

The balance would always end up uneven, Aomine has acknowledged that.

But as he dribbled the orange ball between his legs there was no need for a balance. It was just Aomine and the court. And to him that's all that mattered.

Whenever he played he found himself getting lost in the action whether it was just himself or he had his friends (more like acquaintances) with him. So he didn't really hear when the door opened a little and it creaked while it did so.

But he definitely heard when footsteps moved into the court. His head snapped towards the sound and his eyes landed on a redhead that he'd never seen before.

Who could he be? Wait.

Satsuki's voice drifted into his ears. " _Aka- the General has brought valuable person to join our ranks in this shatterdome recently and he's a returnee from America isn't that exciting?._ "

Oh so then- _oh._

His body instantly reacted at the sound of a deep smooth voice and he froze like a deer in headlights. When he looked up his eyes landed on a tanned male with navy blue hair and eyes of the same color. Which were incredibly narrowed in a way that said the man was definitely sizing him up.

Kagami crossed his arms in a way that he knew would make his muscles more defined as a clear warning.

 _Do not try me_. It was an unspoken sentence that hung in the air and when the man smirked in a way that meant nothing but trouble Kagami felt himself starting to grow irritated.

While he was lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the other man trying to talk to him.

"What?"

The man rolled his eyes and lightly threw the ball in his hand in the air, Kagami couldn't help it and watched in _very little_ fascination as it fell on his pointer finger and spun perfectly. The male caught the redhead's sudden attention swap and his eyes twinkled with silent mischief.

"Wanna have a game?"

Kuroko was walking with Satsuki hearing her rant about how Aomine when they passed by the basketball court doors and heard the sounds of shoes squeaking against the floor. They stopped and looked at each other in confusion.

Confused because they knew Aomine was in there but the question was who was he with?

They sneakily made their ways inside and hid behind a stack of balls watching what was going on in the court with a silent fascination.

Kagami and Aomine were playing just a regular game of basketball but something about watching _their_ basketball was something that left the two spectators enchanted. It was like dance of two vastly different but so similar species. Something like a tiger and a panther.

They were evenly matched, something that left Satsuki to cover her mouth with a silent gasp and Kuroko's eyes widening only a fracture than they naturally were.

Kuroko couldn't help but wonder what their drift would be like.


	3. Chapter 3

If there was one thing that both Kagami and Aomine unmistakably shared, it was the feeling of victory. They _knew_ what it was to win. The feeling of overthrowing your opponent was nothing new to them. Countless of days in the kwoon rooms with different opponents hoping to find someone who was just a smudge closer to their level.

Anyone could see the determined looks in their eyes as they stared at each other from opposite sides of the combat room.

"This isn't a fight." Riko Aida announced from where she stood alongside with the other spectators, staring at the two with interest. Though she was in fact not a pilot, the woman was a force to be reckoned with in the Kwoon Room. "This is about compatability."

Alongside her stood Satsuki, Kuroko, and Akashi. Though other cadets and workers in the shatterdome main themselves known as they stood around in the main opening to the combat room buzzing with curiosity. A new returnee and already attempting to be Aomine's drift partner? This was something they couldn't miss.

Both parties stayed silent and slowly moved to the center of the mat and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath in anticipation.

Aomine slowly twisted the wooden stick in a circular motion motion above his head as he took his first step closer towards the redhead and brought it down in front of him in a stance with his legs bent slightly, a predator ready to spring for its prey. Kagami followed soon after, with his dominant leg in front of the other and his stick swung from behind him as he switched hands before holding it defensively towards the other.

There was a brief moment of stillness in the two of them before the darker male moved with an alarming speed, swiping his leg underneath the other and pointing the tip of his stick towards his chest.

"One - zero." He said with a bored look in his eyes because he honestly didn't expect anything less. Though he held out a hand for the other to grab on.

Kagami simply slapped away the hand and stood up himself. He puffed air through his nose in annoyance as he glared at the other.

 _Someone's getting fired up._ Aomine lip curled at the side in a small smirk as he watched Kagami get into his previous stance. _Did I ruffle your fur, Taiga?_

As if the other heard his words he swung his stick and Aomine blocked it effortlessly. The sounds of wood smacking against each other filled the room as they both attacked each other relentlessly. But during a brief moment of thinking Kagami found his chance.

He ducked underneath a swipe and twisted his body as he stood back up, then in a flash of movements Aomine was tossed over his shoulder and dark red eyes glared down at him.

 _They never got to feel what it was like to find an equal. Someone who could block their attacks effortlessly and attack with the same force as their own._

"One - one." His grip tightened visibly on his own weapon and he pulled it away to step back. "Don't underestimate your opponent. I'd be careful if I were you, Aho."

Aomine narrowed his eyes at the insult and stood up to retaliate with another attack when Akashi interrupted with a voice that demanded respect. "I've seen enough."

"But they've both only gotten to one point?." Riko said confused.

Akashi turned and looked at her with his calculating mismatched eyes. "And when has an opponent of Aomine's ever gotten that far?"

Satsuki decides to pipe in. "Never. Dai-chan knocks them off their feet before they even get the chance to start."

When Kuroko turns to face him Kagami finds himself freezing, because why is the creepy baby-faced male looking at him like he's the most interesting thing he's ever seen? The expression made him uncomfortable.

"It appears we've found ourselves a new set of pilots."

Kagami looks constipated when the sentence left the General's mouth. As much as another part of him felt pride for finally being announced to be an actual pilot the other side wept as memories of a man with black hair with a mole underneath his eye flooded his head.

When Kagami is told to pack his bags because he'd be moving in with Aomine he looks at Satsuki and Kuroko with an expression of disdain.

"Dai-chan may come off as rude and ignorant." She continues helping him pack his things, completely ignoring his sarcastic snort; because that was the understatement of the year. "But that's just a masquerade mask hiding what's underneath."

He tries to take her words into consideration, but when he opens the door to his new quarters and his eyes instantly lock on a stack of magazines at the foot of the bed on the left with an underdressed woman as the cover he pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Aomine wasn't in the room, but from the sounds of running water coming from the door that connected to the room he must've been in the bathroom. Kagami avoided the mess of clothes and things on the floor, placing his bags on the empty bed on the right side of the room. He had begun to unpack when he heard a door open.

"Oh its you." Aomine said boredly as he dried his hair with a towel.

Kagami briefly glanced over his shoulder but didn't say anything, continuing to unpack his things.

The other man slipped off his towel to reveal a pair of black briefs and pulled on a pair of sweats before he made his way towards him. "They're going to be sticking us in a simulator later today, they tell you about that?"

Kagami froze, because _no_ they hadn't told him that.

The action didn't go unnoticed. "Well yeah they're sticking us in one of the pods for a test drift before we get shoved into a jaeger."

The moment you start the drift you're vulnerable. Not to the kaiju, but to the person standing next to you decked out in the same armour you're wearing.

Because you relive every single painful memory that you wish you could just lock up in the darkest place of your mind, only you can see them. But when you drift, that person is there alongside you. Watching everything you endured during your lifetime. From then on your armour is deemed useless. Because that person standing next to you knows everything.

And when everything you've kept to yourself, everything that slowly killed you inside is shown to someone else, you're vulnerable; completely exposed because they now know **everything**.

 _Kagami watched his fifteen year old self running through the deserted city. Everyone had already fled and taken refuge somewhere safe while the small teen was left with his father at his side, running for their lives from the sounds of a beast not far behind._

 _A loud roar erupted from behind them and Kagami saw himself freeze in fear from how close it came. His father yelled and grabbed his arm, dragging him into a narrow alleyway in hopes of losing the alien's sights. Kagami felt his own body tense up because he knew, he just knew what was happening next._

 _In an act of slow motion the two in the alley saw the beast's radioactive colored blue eye staring into the narrow walkway and roared furiously before ramming it's head into the crevice and slamming it's feet against the ground. The ground shook underneath it's weight and debris' fell from the victim buildings._

 _The two attempted to dodge whatever came their way but they weren't lucky enough._

"Don't chase the rabbit Kagami." Satsuki muttered into her hands as she sat in the control room, watching the stat numbers flare to life in anything but a good way. "C'mon Kagami."

 _But Kagami couldn't hear her from where she was and where he was, too immersed in a memory of something that happened years ago. Because replaying it over and over was one thing but living it was another._

 _Kagami's father was struck by one of the larger debris and his younger self cried out, reaching out as if to help the man but he wasn't fast enough to react._

 _There was a loud bang from where the monster was standing followed by an array of blinding lights before he could see clearly. A large mechanical figure stood, it bent down on one leg and from the side he saw two beings climb out of it, and approach the younger boy carefully._

"Tatsuya." He whispered brokenly, his chest aching as he saw the familiar face from behind his mask. "Alex."

There was a flurry of flashes and the memory changed rapidly until another caught his eye and made the ache in his chest transition to a burn.

The day Himuro Tatsuya and Alex Garcia died.

"Should we pull the plug sir?" Midorima asked with a calculated look on his face as he glanced at the general with a raised eyebrow.

The man simply raised a hand to silence him as he watched the exchange with silent interest.

 _It was like it just happened yesterday. The air in the shatterdome was silent and everyone stood tensely as a man approached a small redhead that stood along the crowd in anticipation. The boy recognized the man instantly, but appeared confused when he realized two missing people._

" _Where are Tatsuya and Alex?" He asked quietly as he looked at him._

 _The man bent down and placed a hand on the teenager's head. "I'm sorry kid."_

 _The kid remained confused until it finally clicked and his eyes filled to the brim with a never ending flow of tears. "You're lying!" He shouted, backing up as if the man had struck him. "They aren't dead! They can't be! I can't lose them too!"_

A tear slipped down the redhead's cheek underneath his mask.

"Kagami you have to listen to me." Aomine stepped up from the shadows of where he was watching towards the other male, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It isn't real. It's just a memory."

When the man didn't answer he shouted. "Kagami it's all in your head! It isn't real!"

His body tensed and his hands that were clenched into fists uncurled and relaxed. His eyes then flashed open, taking in their surroundings. "Aomine?" He whispered, but his body shut down before he could say anything else.

"Gave us quite the scare." A soft tap on his cheek nudged him awake and Kagami forced his eyes to the bright lights. They took in his surroundings and he confirmed to himself that he was indeed in the infirmary.

"Welcome to the land of the living Bakagami, enjoy your stay." A deep smooth voice flooded his ears and the man turned his head to glare at Aomine from where he sat next to Kuroko in the chairs along the wall.

Kagami rolled his eyes and placed an arm over his head with a groan. "It's too freaking bright."

"Well," the man drawled. "if you hadn't knocked yourself out you wouldn't be in her, obviously."

Aomine better be lucky Kagami was actually very comfortable where he was lying or he would've gotten a face full of fist. That and he was too sluggish to move. He'd been drugged up on meds and was still trying to regain full control over his own limbs; he wasn't having much luck attempting that.

"Your drift was flawless at first." Satsuki said from her spot on the wall, making herself known. "But since you fell out of line while you chased the rabbit there was a flaw. But the general thinks if we'd put you in an actual jaeger your drift would be absolute."

"I don't know whether to be happy about that or not right now." Kagami grunted. "I feel like hell.."

"Tomorrow we'll be showing you your jaeger, the one you'll be piloting. And maybe you'll get to drift in it depending on the general's words - we're still waiting for confirmation."

The redhead raised an eyebrow at the sudden announcement. "Sounds to me that you already had this planned out."

Kuroko couldn't help the small quirk of his lips as he put himself in the conversation. "We've been waiting for you for a long time Kagami-kun."

The two bid their goodbyes then, having to go back to their work which left Kagami and Aomine alone in the small room. There was a brief uncomfortable silence before Kagami broke it with a tired sigh.

"You saw it." He muttered.

Aomine looked at him with a serious expression as he nods at him and for once all traces of a smirk was gone from his face. "I saw everything."

Kagami let his arm drop to his chest and stared up at the blank ceiling for a moment. "They were my guardians after the attack when I was thirteen." He started off, his voice shaky. "They took me in when I had nothing left. They _saved_ my life."

The navy haired man could only watch in respective silence with his hands locked in his lap.

"Two years later they died in a fight against a category four. The first one ever to hit the waters of California."

"Is that the reason for the ring around your neck?"

The redhead nodded. "Though Tatsuya was my guardian he didn't want me to call him dad." he smiled. "said that title was reserved for my old man, though he rest in peace Tatsuya refused to be called that and said he was my older brother instead. He had a matching ring of his own on a chain too."

"And the woman?"

"Alex was his co-pilot;she was like a mom to me. She also is the one who taught me how to play basketball since she used to be a pro player before the kaiju started their attack."

Aomine watched the other carefully and dragged his seat closer. "I know."

Kagami scowled. "Then why'd you make me explain Ahomine?"

Aomine shrugged with a sheepish grin. "My mom used to say talking about things put the soul at ease, and I saw how your shoulders tensed when your saw your memories."

"I always wanted to fight the world's biggest demons after that though. I just had to battle with my own first."

"Do you think you've won now that you've seen the scars of the aftermath?"

Kagami smiled a little and gave a slow nod. "Yeah I think I have."

Kagami is discharged from the infirmary within the hour and he is off to his own quarters relieved from the over-sanitized room that made him high from the too-clean smell. His stomach grumbled in complaint since he hadn't eaten dinner yet but he didn't feel like going all the way to the cafeteria. His body was still mostly numb and Aomine literally had to drag his ass to their quarters.

He ignores the whale noises coming from his stomach and flops onto his bed with a groan, not bothering to change his clothes or kick off his boots. "I hate everything." He mutters into his pillow.

"Go drown in your self-pity somewhere else, I am looking at Horikita Mai and I don't need you ruining the mood with you wallowing." Aomine says from his side of the room.

It takes a moment for the name to click in Kagami's brain and suddenly he is up and moving from his bed. He marches up to Aomine who is on his bed looking at a specific magazine like he's staring at furniture rather than naked women, and snatches the magazine from his hands ignoring the cry or complaint.

"The hell you doing bakagami?" He shouts dolphin diving for the magazine but Kagami shifts his body out the way which ends up with Aomine on the floor and looking up at him with a glare.

"What are you a teenager with newly-discovered hormones? Don't be looking at this crap in here, I don't need you masturbating while I'm in the room." Kagami gives him a look very similar to the one Satsuki gave him when she found such magazines for the first time when they were in high school.

When Kagami grabs the stack of magazines and puts them in one of the cupboards Aomine only sits indian style on the floor with his arm crossed, very much looking like a pouting child. "Oh get over it you pervert."

"I don't like you."

"I don't recall asking if you did or not."

Aomine mutters a few things under his breath that Kagami can't quite catch but before he knows it he's on his ass on the floor with tanned arms around his neck in a headlock blocking his oxygen. He was caught off guard so he reacts a few moments late but Kagami raises his arms and wraps them around his offender's torso, pulling him above his head to slam him against the floor with a laugh.

They were too immersed in tackling each other to notice the pink haired woman standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips and an amused smile playing on her lips. "Men." she muttered, stepping inside.

At the sound of her footsteps both heads snapped in her direction bodies tense before they relaxed.

"General said the drift is a go tomorrow, decided to pop in and let you two know." She said with a raised eyebrow as she eyed them, and they immediately pulled back from each other like they were burned. She restrained herself from laughing out loud but couldn't help the quiet snicker that escaped.

"We should be fine tomorrow then. As long as Ahomine doesn't mess up the drift." Kagami grins like he's won himself himself some trophy.

Aomine laughs. He _laughs_ and he _grins_. "I don't think I'm the one we should be worrying about Bakagami."

 _Last time I saw Aomine like that was when we were still kids._ Satsuki thinks to herself, and she forces herself not to cry right then and there. _Because they found him, they found Aomine's person._


End file.
